LeBron James Says He Stopped Being A Cowboys' Fan Due To Team's Stance On Kneeling During National Anthem

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LeBron James was one of the most well-known, passionate Dallas Cowboys fans out there. The keyword there is 'was.' James recently explained he's no longer a Cowboys fan due to the team's stance on kneeling during the national anthem.

James was essentially the director of the political theatre that went on during the 2020 NBA season and knelt during the playing of the anthem before games. Sending a message about racial injustice was a top priority for many professional athletes in the wake of George Floyd's death.

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While NBA commissioner Adam Silver allowed players to essentially do and say whatever they wanted, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones had a differing opinion when it came to kneeling during the anthem.

James disagreed with Jones' opinion and has since cut ties with Dallas.

"There was just a lot of things that was going on during when guys were kneeling, and guys were having freedom of speech," James said.

"They wanted to do it in a very peaceful manner. A lot of people in their front office and a lot of people that ran the organization was like, ‘If you do that around here, then you will never play for this franchise again.' And I just didn’t think that was appropriate."

James, an Ohio native, is now "all in on the Browns."

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LeBron James and other Laker teammates kneel during the national anthem inside the NBA bubble in 2020. (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)

The Cowboys did kneel during the playing of the national anthem during the 2017 NFL season, but Jones shut that down after the game and made it clear disrespecting the flag was not an option.

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"I know this, we cannot, in the NFL in any way, give the implication that we tolerate disrespecting the flag," Jones said at the time.

"We know that there is a serious debate in this country about those issues, but there is no question in my mind that the National Football League and the Dallas Cowboys are going to stand up for the flag. So we're clear."

It's safe to say Jones and others in the Cowboys' front office won't be losing any sleep over James leaving the fanbase.

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the PGA Tour, LIV Golf, and all other happenings in the world of golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.